Michael Nelson Trout is an American professional baseball center fielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). Trout is a six-time MLB All-Star, and got the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 2014 and 2016 (ending up second in the 2012, 2013 and 2015 votes).

Trout was a first-round choice by the Angels in the 2009 MLB draft and made a brief big league appearance in 2011 as a teen. He ended up being a regular player for the Angels the subsequent season and won the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year Award all. He is under contract with the Angels through 2020.

Nicknamed “The Millville Meteor”, Trout’s MLB performances have actually gotten appreciation from both the mainstream media and sabermetricians. He is regarded as among the most outstanding young players in the history of baseball, as well as one of the best existing players in all of MLB. Trout has led the American League in wins above replacement (WAR) in each of his first 5 full seasons.

Trout was drafted by the Angels, using their payment pick from the New York Yankees for their signing of Mark Teixeira, 25th overall in the 2009 MLB draft.

In June 2016, Sporting News named Trout “baseball’s best player” for the season. According to Fangraphs, he had actually collected more WAR through his age-24 season (on August 12, 2016) than other player since 1913, with 45. Mickey Mantle was second with 41.1, followed by Mel Ott, Jimmie Foxx, and Ted Williams. A close modern of Trout’s, Alex Rodriguez, was seventh. In 159 games of 2016, Trout led the MLB with walks (116), runs scored (123), and on-base percentage (.441). He also had actually a .315 batting average, 29 home runs, 30 stolen bases, and 100 RBI.

On November 17, Trout was revealed as the 2016 AL MVP, winning the award for the second time in his career. Trout also signed up with Barry Bonds as the only other player in MLB history to finish leading 2 for the MVP in five straight seasons. He was the 2016 Esurance MLB/This Year in Baseball Award winner for Best Major Leaguer. At the conclusion of the 2016 season, Trout was 12th among active position players in Overall Wins Above Replacement through just 5 complete seasons.

On May 28, 2017, Trout left the game after spraining his left thumb. Two days later, an MRI revealed that the thumb had actually a torn ulnar collateral ligament, and he was put on the disabled list for the very first time in his big league career. The injury needed surgical treatment, and Trout was eliminated for 6 to eight weeks. On May 31, he underwent successful thumb surgical treatment.